Oops!

If you have a fan of humorous verse in the vein of Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein, crack open Oops! by Alan Katz. He writes poetry based on the wild antics of his four children. Topics such as leaving fingerprints, fighting with siblings, waiting for the school bus and more fill the pages. Oops! features 100 of his hilarious poems with rhymes that will tickle your kid’s funny bone all summer long.

Tacky and the Winter Games

Everyone is penguin-crazy these days. Who can resist these lovable winter birds? Tacky and his friends have been around since 1990 and, in this newest volume, form Team Nice Icy Land to compete in the Winter Games. Tacky learns that being on a team takes hard work and dedication. The challenge here is to keep from laughing out loud with your child at the silly antics of Tacky and his friends. Hilarious and raucous fun.

Diary of a Worm

by:
Doreen Cronin - (Joanna Cotler Books, 2003) 40 pages.

Doreen Cronin has done it again with this first person narrative told from the point of view of a boy worm. This book introduces the concept of a diary in a fun way. Young readers will identify with all the escapades of a worm, as he interacts with family members, goes to school and vacations at Compost Island. Children will laugh and learn facts in a fun way while learning to appreciate living creatures.

Want to see the movie? Check out the Scholastic video collection Diary of a Worm… And Four More Great Animal Tales, which also includes favorites like Anatole and Frog Goes to Dinner.

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together

Hoberman has written a charming sequel to her first book of the same title. Set for two voices, these hilarious versions of the three bears, pigs and goats, plus a couple of princesses and one beanstalk, can be read by even beginning readers. The cozy appeal of partnered reading and slightly quirky stories are too snuggly for just one reading. Simple text with abundant humor and comic illustrations follow the invitation: “We’ll read each page to one another. You’ll read one side, I, the other.”

The Giant Hug

Owen sends Granny a hug. He hugs Mr. Nevin at the Post Office, who hugs Mrs. Porter, who hugs someone else … all the way to Granny. The humor associated with each hug passing appeals immensely to children.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy

by:
Tedd Arnold - (Cartwheel Books, 2007) 32 pages.

Here’s a creative spin on the classic tale of the old woman who swallowed a fly. It’s highly recommended by first-graders; the pictures help students decode words they otherwise may not know, thereby building their reading confidence.

Washday on Noah’s Ark

by:
Glen Rounds - (Holiday House, 1985) 32 pages.

Glen Rounds takes the flood story, bends it completely out of shape, and stretches it into a ridiculous, very funny tall tale. Mrs. Noah goes into a snit when a bunch of wild animals lumber aboard and overcrowd the newly finished ark. Nor is her mood improved by the fact that she is unable to wash while it rains. By the 41st day, she is thoroughly disgruntled, and her family is thoroughly dirty. On that first sunshiny morning, she is determined to let nothing stand in her way — most certainly not a minor detail like the lack of a clothesline.

Worm Gets a Job

by:
Kathy Caple - (Candlewick Press, 2004) 40 pages.

The cartoon-strip organization of the book guides young readers through the text. They enjoyed following the word bubbles to find out what job the young worm would take on. Children giggled at the results of the worm’s search for employment.